tomaddy525 Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi folks, and before I start many apologies! Looking for a good steel cartridge for pinks as I've about run out of my wingmaster supply! So I'm wanting 12 bore 3 1/2 inch and probably BB shot and the heaviest load possible! What is there that is readily available that works for this spec? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samyw Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Remington sportsman steel or game bore mammoth are bot excellent shells in my experience with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Remington Nitro steel is the hardest hitting. Don't get the heavier load weights it tends to be slower and steel 3 1/2" super mag 12 has too many pellets anyhow. Gamebore mammoth is ok but more sluggish. No.1 up will work on Pinks flighted but I prefer bigger say BBB out of preference as like I say the super mag has too many pellets for bore size. If you close or over decoys try a good fast load of number 2 and a 3" shell Remington shells have been hard to get of late with the change in distributor nothing came in early season so it might be Hobsons choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fal Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Cheaper option than the rems, go for Gamebore Mammoth 42g BB or No1 both a 3 1/2 inch shell. I was using no1s on the canadas and would recommend it all day! Keep your ranges to the norm and you'll be fine with either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Remmington or Winchester 1 9\16oz in BBB or BB in a full afterchoke (.700) will almost equal hevi shot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian g Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 i use gamebore mammoth 3" 36g an the 3 1/2 42g there good cartidges had a few pinks on the marsh this year using them i use 3s and 1s i never use bigger than 1s theres no need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 i use gamebore mammoth 3" 36g an the 3 1/2 42g there good cartidges had a few pinks on the marsh this year using them i use 3s and 1s i never use bigger than 1s theres no need I believe there is a need at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomaddy525 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thanks for the thoughts, looks like nitro steel might be worth a shot! And I strongly believe there I a need for using bigger than ones, I only use lead size 0 or bigger in the equivalents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian g Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) There realy ain't iv hit high birds as high as I'd lift the gun to using steel and iv hit them paddles down over decoys 15--20 yards out the end results the same I do not believe going bigger would have made any difference at all to how many iv shot this season and only a 2 have been winged but retrieved so am more that happy with the results Edited February 6, 2014 by ian g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony G Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I use the nitro steel in size 2 but remember this is size 1 in UK Found them really hard hitting on Greys,Pinks and Canada's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 There realy ain't iv hit high birds as high as I'd lift the gun to using steel and iv hit them paddles down over decoys 15--20 yards out the end results the same I do not believe going bigger would have made any difference at all to how many iv shot this season and only a 2 have been winged but retrieved so am more that happy with the results No.3 English steel will up your wounding rate no question at all- UNLESS your birds are well inside 35 yards max and you shoot extremely well. On the Dee ( I note your on the Wirral) most of the geese "if you get a chance" tend on the low side and I have muffed up more close shots than I have high ones there. Its not normally this way 15-20 yards is super close and you could likely kill them with a .410. once you get to 40 yards you need a dose of luck and a lot of skill not to get a high rate of wounded geese with number 3 factory shells, though many of us have had more distant drop out as if pole axed its certainly not good practice and should only be done to fix a mistake really. Bigger shot might not have upped your numbers but then again you don't give us these anyhow as it depends entirely on range which you don't give either. Now if you said you had shot 80 geese this season at 40-45 yards and only got those two wounders I should start laughing. Shooting American number 2 in my left barrel and BBB in my right I can certainly tell a difference in my 10ga once the range stretches past 30+ and these handloads are significantly faster than off the shelf, contain a good shot count and beat 12ga super magnum patterns hands down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian g Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 What I can say is that yes it is on the dee an everytime they have been watch and we have been out we have shot pinks from 15--20 yards over decoys actually got 2 with one shot few weeks back to being on the edge of range not going to say anymore on that hit them properly with 3s and 1s and that's all you need from 15 yards to the edge of range can garantee I could stand next to you and match you shot for shot with my cartridge choice and can also tell you someone on that marsh shoots them with smaller that 3s and il guarantee he shoots more pinks than me an you every season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomaddy525 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 On the dee it may well be a different story, but meanwhile on the Solway a 45 yard pink is a low one! At those sort of ranges you really do need big shot. A couple of times did I hear the crunch of feathers on a goose with hevi-shot no3 first barrel and then killed the same bird outright second shot with BB wingmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian g Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Yer an the reason that is a low pink is because of people shooting at them out of range shouldn't be shooting at them much after 45 yards with steel but Anyway il not hijack your post anymore iv put my opinion across Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) There are so many variables when it comes to shot sizes. Much depends on how your specific gun handles different shot sizes , but the brand of cartridge also comes into play and chokes also have an important part to play. . The average foreshore wildfowler needs a factory steel shell that can kill cleanly and consistantly a goose at ranges between 30 and 50 yards. No three is fine at the lower range , but is struggling at 50 yards . I must admit that I have shot a number of greylags at fairly long range when caught on the hop while duck flightings with no3 ( my standard duck shell ) and my hit ratio has beeen reasonable , but when duck shooting I use half choke and have found most of the greys though badly disabled and unable to escape all were still alive when the dog retrieved them. But when flighting geese I perform better with BB or larger shot, if nothing else they give me confendence. However to keep the patern tight at long range with steel a tight after choke is important. I do not like bb shot in anything less tight that full ( .700 ) afterchoke. However we should not forget that all wildfowlers have their favoured shot sizes and cartridge brands , its always been so since the old lead days and even more so with the variely of shot types we have today. The lad is looking for something to replace his wingmaster shells and is used to large shot so I doubt if steel no3 will fit his reqirements. Tom one thing bb or bbb will not do is produce the fluke shots at 60 yards that other non steel shells sometimes do. Steel pellets run out of penetration at roughly the same time as the pattern gives out in a full choke . Regard 50 yards as your max range Edited February 6, 2014 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 When shooting geese on the marsh, I always think it pays to kit ourselves out with a combination that will cope with long range birds if required. I have shot pinks this season that could have been killed with steel 9s, but i'm always prepared for pinks up to the 60 yard mark. This can mean hevishot or large steel shot through tight chokes. I always feel a bit limited if I have anything less than BB for the taller birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 What I can say is that yes it is on the dee an everytime they have been watch and we have been out we have shot pinks from 15--20 yards over decoys actually got 2 with one shot few weeks back to being on the edge of range not going to say anymore on that hit them properly with 3s and 1s and that's all you need from 15 yards to the edge of range can garantee I could stand next to you and match you shot for shot with my cartridge choice and can also tell you someone on that marsh shoots them with smaller that 3s and il guarantee he shoots more pinks than me an you every season Yes but you see I am a member and know how few pinks get shot annually there. There are guys shooting more in a week elsewhere then the best on the Dee do in a year. As of yet they are mostly very low - watch this space! Bag as is are two a day, which is fair but on other parts we are talking numbers of tens of thousands on the roosts. I think no.2 3" nitro steel is ample on the Dee but well under what I should step out with on other marshes and I include the Canadas in that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 When shooting geese on the marsh, I always think it pays to kit ourselves out with a combination that will cope with long range birds if required. I have shot pinks this season that could have been killed with steel 9s, but i'm always prepared for pinks up to the 60 yard mark. This can mean hevishot or large steel shot through tight chokes. I always feel a bit limited if I have anything less than BB for the taller birds. This is really about numbers, shooting pressure and the fact that Norfolk is Goose country and the Dee estuary has some geese that are still something of a bonus bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian g Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yes but you see I am a member and know how few pinks get shot annually there. There are guys shooting more in a week elsewhere then the best on the Dee do in a year. As of yet they are mostly very low - watch this space! Bag as is are two a day, which is fair but on other parts we are talking numbers of tens of thousands on the roosts. I think no.2 3" nitro steel is ample on the Dee but well under what I should step out with on other marshes and I include the Canadas in that I know exactly who you are iv walked on there with you before any way am not gonna continue to argue with you on someone else's threat so il leave it at that an let the op get back to what he originally asked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFreddysCat Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 On the subject of Nitro Steel No.2s. I took one of these apart to see what was in it. Shot measured 3.8mm, 125 pellets/oz. So slightly larger than English No.1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 shot quite a few this year with gamebore mammoth 1's in 42gram. happy with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 On the subject of Nitro Steel No.2s. I took one of these apart to see what was in it. Shot measured 3.8mm, 125 pellets/oz. So slightly larger than English No.1. American 2 is 3.75mm 0.15" . Did you notice the large polymer plastic buffers? I use AM number 2 in the right barrel of the 10ga, driven fast its deadly! The Nitro 3" is a great shell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Gamebore mammoth BB seem to do the job. I use a Patternmaster 'Duck' choke on a 26" Benelli. I used to shoot Heavyshot all the while but getting good results with he Gamebore have made me use them less and less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Gandalf you are not the only one getting better results with steel compared with hevi shot. Since they started making round pellets ( the old pellets were all shapes ) they seem to have gone downhill.I suspect the lighter loads no not have sufficent pattern.Still as they have stopped importing them thats all in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Steel loads have improved and I personally rate steel highly, on all but tooth damage fronts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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